Reviews by anap:

From the tap, Hennepin poured a sunshiny gold color, slightly hazy, with a spumy one-centimeter head. The first sip left a strong impression of pears that receded with subsequent sips, unraveling a sparkling apple cider note with a trace of soapiness and lichen on the finish. For having so mellow a flavor, the beer was surprisingly crisp and thin. In fact, I would have preferred a slightly heavier feel, but perhaps my opinion was swayed by a craving for warmth on a chilly day in February. Well, I found it thoroughly drinkable nonetheless and look forward to sampling it again when springtime rolls around.

More User Reviews:

First pour in a challis. Mammoth head with tons of yeast, pepper and citrus on the nose which I can smell a foot away. Typically cloudy but lighter in color than some other beers in this style.

Very complex. Flavors are all over the place. Savory heat (cilantro or watercress maybe) on the tongue and a bubbly tingle in the mouth. A grainy malt texture blends well with the yeastiness which lingers but doesn't overpower the palate. A superior taste with an even better sensation in the pie hole.

Results from the second pour are almost the same. A little more heat as the beer has warmed up some.

Final pour. I allowed some of the yeast to flow into the glass. I can still taste it after ten minutes. Not the way to go for me. I have tried this before with a 11.2 ounce Belgian blonde and it worked well. So it's the type of beer, temperature or some combination of the two.

Overall I love this beer. It is my favorite saison and one of the best beers I have tried.

Note* I'm not a fan of a big grapefruit presence (probably because I don't like grapefruit) so take this into consideration if you use opinions as a guide.

My cup runeth over. My label features little famers--Quaker looking folk--in a canoe raising their goblets to the new corn moon. Okay, maybe I'm confusing this beer with a Disney song. But this beauty simply soars. Pale sunset russet on the eye with creamy head buoyant enough to bear fair Aphrodite on its delicate foam. Champange on the nose, but something else too.....something stinky like a soft ripened cheese, but also heavily citrus. Teasingly effervescent with bubbles bursting like ripe muscat grapes on the palate. And then an unexpected aromatic twist--a faintly metallic tang. Light on the tongue, creamy, well done spices. A breathtaking achievement from Cooperstown. Please, Sir, may I have another?

I've been a little too intimidated to review this beer for some time. There is just no way an amateur like myself can do it any justice but I will do my best. It is simply spectacular.

Appearances first: I love the fact that Hennepin comes with a champagne style cork in a 750 bottle. Like all of Ommegangs beers, it is fun to open but that is just the beginning.

Hennepin pours a rich gold. Its sticky and its head lasts and lasts and lasts longer than just about any beer that I have ever seen. Its highly viscous, globular, and almost alive.

When I tilt my snifter, my Cabernet/Bordeaux glass, or my goblet of Hennepin the head forms a brilliant lacey coating around the bottom of the glass. It doesnt dissipate. It just rests forming a different beautiful pattern each and every time I tilt.

Furthermore, Hennepin has an intensity in its hue and brightness that is almost unrivaled. This is a beautiful beer.

Onto the smell: Hennepin smells like I would imagine an idyllic Medieval farm to smell like: grain, straw, horses, sacks of dried flour, pepper, and of course, a beautiful lady. As tripe as this may sound, I assure you that Hennepin does indeed carry with it a quality that reminds me strongly of William Goldmans the princess bride. This beer smells like I would imagine Buttercups hair to smell, utterly perfect.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Hennepin is medicinal, no doubt about that. Its taste is robust and ads vigor to the body. There are also most certainly elements of lemon and grass, freshly baked drop scones, honey, and biscuits. The finish is dry and nutty, leaving the mouth thirsty for more. It wraps and warms the tongue and coats the palate, stomach and esophagus. I cant get enough.

Ommegang Hennepin Farmhouse Saison poured out into my tulip glass a cloudy/hazy bright golden hue. Atop sat a 2-finger white fluffy head that had good staying power and formed numerous collars of foam while consuming. Fine carbonation bubbles rushed to the top - champagne like.

The nose is fruity, peppery and yeasty. The taste is of light fruit; orange peel, candy sugar, spicy and peppery. Mouth feel is creamy with fizzy carbonation that tickles the palate. The ale finishes a little dry.

Hennepin is very drinkable and a fine brew from a top shelf brewer Ommegang.

A (5): Pours a slightly hazy light gold with three fingers of frothy, foamy, white head that seems to be lasting forever. Arguably the thickest, longest lasting head I have ever had on any beer, ever. Loads of carbonation streaming up from the sides and bottom of the glass. Lacing is exquisite.

T (4): Tricky and deceptive arrival; complex flavors that call you to attention immediately, but I wouldn’t call it bold – this is not Duvel; it is overwhelming and laid-back all at once; slightly malty and phenolic/spicy arrival, turns more phenolic and slightly medicinal on the mid palate (ginger?); goes for a slight funk/dried straw note right at the end, and then bitters to a very smooth, lingering phenol, spice, and hop ending. As was the case with Duvel, I find the hop/clove/alcohol combination to be a bit much as this grows warmer, but it is a really well balanced beer.

M (4.5): Lighter side of midweight, actively carbonated, but not biting. A little residual slickness, but clean and dry overall.

O (4.5): I have seen this beer on the shelves for years and years, and wanted to try it. Now that Ommegang is releasing more things in six packs, I am able to try some of their wares, and I have been impressed with everything that I’ve had. This is excellent, and if I could afford to do so, I would drink this all summer long. 7.7%ABV? You would never guess. This is a deceptively complex yet simple beer; loads of flavor, but eminently refreshing. It reminds me a lot of Duvel, but that, I felt, was overpowering; this is not. And is this ever a beauty to look at and to nose. I’ve only had two other Saisons: the first one I don’t really remember, the second I remember because it was awful. I suppose in this case, the third time was the charm.

25.4oz bottle purchased at Trader Joe's with the new labeling, poured into 6oz tulip glass.

APPEARANCE: 50:50 fluid to head ratio. Beer is a rich, overcooked-olive-oil-yellow with aggressive effervescence. Fully translucent but cloudy. Head is pure white with subsidence in asymmetrical patterns, leaving pillows of foam in unpredictable places.

SMELL: Lemons, Grandfather's toolbox, Chardonnay

TASTE: Tart to the tongue inducing pleasant saliva secretion. Hops are very present but just enough bitterness to balance the bright flavours. Yeasts are very fruity - Notes of citrus. Notes of anise root. notes of papaya. "aftertaste" strongly resembles pear jelly bellies. Alcohol is well concealed.

MOUTH-FEEL: Frothy due to the easily-agitated carbonation. Tickle to the tongue, followed by a filling gulp down the throat. Viscosity of true fluid is low.

OVERALL: This beer was rated without any financial bias, however, the pleasure it provided was frighteningly affordable. If I were to ever drink this with a buddy, we'd certainly need two bottles, because I'm not sharing mine.

Taste: The palate matches the nose right off the glass like many North American Saisons. Then, it shifts quickly to notes of Belgian spices which are milder than those found in the back-end of a witbier. As a result of that, Hennepin is not aggressive on our tongue and is very drinkable.

Feel: Like any saison, be it from Belgium or North America, this beer is refreshing. Moreover, we do not feel a crispness that might blur the lines between a saison, a radler or a lemonade. This last detail is a plus.

Overall: This beer is a simple textbook North American saison. Although it is stylistically anonymous because of its simple notes of lemon on the front-end, its simplicity actually makes its charm. The only reservation I have with Hennepin as well as other North American saisons has to do with the head retention. Sure, the beer has a nice lacings, but it can't match other Belgian saisons, which mostly manage to keep a half-a-finger head during a tasting session. Despite this flaw, I would drink this very often during summer.

Appearance: Pours a cloudy (as it should be, damnit) straw color. The head is a billion fingers high and white in shade. What's worse, the head is both incredibly fluffy and long-lasting. Some lacing sticks to the glass, too. If someone asked me what the stereotypical saison SHOULD look like, I'd point them to this. I've sort of becomes attached to the theory that a beer's aesthetics are mutually exclusive to how it will taste; with this, I simply can't wait to drink it. (4.5)

Smell: It's like, every single note I expect from a standard (non-brett) saison is here and in full force. I really pick up massive notes of black pepper and grass, along with some mild apple and pear notes. As it opens up, I also pick up some sesame seed. This takes a lot of elements from a witbier, too - the coriander is particularly strong (yet doesn't devolve into Underwood deviled ham like some coriander-laden beers can). It takes all the good elements from a saison and a witbier, and creates something that smells killer. (4.25)

Taste: I get some saison spice initially. From first sip, I can easily tell there's a lot going on here. As the notes of black pepper, fresh-cut grass, and sesame seed gently subside, I start to pick up notes of coriander, candied sugar, and lemon. Of course, I also have to mention the ester flavors: the apple, pear, and white grape notes really sing on the palate. The finish brings back some grassiness. Why the hell didn't I revisit this one sooner?! (4.25)

Mouthfeel: This is refreshing yet decently substantial, like a saison should be. If there's one complaint about this beer, just one complaint, is that it's a bit too sweet at times. Whatever, it's 7.7% and doesn't have brett to eat away at the residual sugar, so I'm peachy. Carbonation is moderate yet mouth-filling. (4)

Overall: This is a classic for a reason. It drinks like an archetypal saison, yet adds just enough witbier elements to make it even more interesting (instead of detracting). This is what happens when you search for the latest and greatest saisons: you ignore stuff like this that's on the shelf 24/7, and come to regret it when you finally decide to pick it up again a couple years later. No more, I'm going to be buying a lot more of this in the future. (4.25)

4.24/5: I could just buy this and Dupont in lieu of all other non-brett saisons and not feel like I'm missing anything

12oz bottle into Libbey tulip
no date code
L- hazy ice tea color, with huge fluffy white head, and great retention
S- farmhouse funk, coriander, orange peel
T- sweet, spicy, funky, in reality a real nice blend of spices and its hard to pick out indivual ones, but really nice all together
F- smooth and creamy with 'tight' carbonation
Overall a great aromatic beer with even better taste. the spices are real nice and subtle contributing to but not overpowering this well crafted brew

Light color with lots of carbonation bubbles. To me this has the scent of a Belgian Tripel, a bit funky with some spice. Quite a complex range of flavor, there's beery maltiness, some spice with a tripel yeast finish. It's flavorful and yet very much still a beer. Very carbonated and creamy. Well done. The slightest bit of heat on the end.

Poured a light golden color,for some reason didnt get much head at all maybe and older bottle?Smell was fresh and amd very floral.The first thing I got on the palate was a spiciness followed by some fruity,yeasty estures.There is a definent citrusy kinda lemony taste rounding out on this one.A really well made ale but maybe not for me so much,but it still deserves a pretty good raiting.

Appearance  Beautiful, light but cloudy yellowish-orange body with a nice white head that went down slowly.

Smell  Nice mix of yeast and slight sourness with some significant spicing. The spicing is typical BSPA. The fruits are light and pleasant, most notably melons, apples, strawberries dipped in sugar, and lots of green grapes.

Taste  This one is very good. Theres a hint of the grassy garden in there, but mostly youve got a wonderful yeast base mixed with tangy but restrained fruitiness. Theres a hint of alcohol more along the lines of a dry blanc or maybe even a brut blanc de noir with all that carbonation.

Mouthfeel  Medium-bodied but heavily carbonated, this one produces about a thousand sensations in the mouth. Very fun and entertaining; not something youd want to serve with a meal.

Drinkability  I had this on an empty stomach just before dinner, and it was a delight. It wetted my appetite for the stuffed chicken with sticky rice and garlic gravy. Excellent and adventurous example of the style.

Update  I re-reviewed this with a 2004 bottle and found it to be very enjoyable. I got a lot more spicing this time around but otherwise it seems pretty consistent.

I'll keep this simple. This is light and refreshing, tasty, and a perfect beer. It has a slight alcoholic zing to it. It is a 7.7% beer and you will feel it. This would be the PERFECT beer in the summer. It has that Belgian wheat beer core but a bit more flavor.

The smell has something in it that reminds me of the scent of piss. Haha. That doesn't deter me because the taste is fantastic (no piss). The bottle says not to disturb the yeast sediment... I did that by accident. Maybe the yeast doesn't like to be disturbed, it gets pissed... then it decides to smell like it. :D My fault! lol.

If you are a fan of Belgian wheat beers you will LOVE this. I'm sure of it. Cheers.

Poured from a bottle to a pint glass. Starts off a pale straw color, reasonable clarity at first, with a bunch of carbonation bubbles floating around. Within seconds, a haze takes it over and all of a sudden it becomes almost a completely opaque, peachy, light amber color. Interesting. Foamy, white head settles but lasts, looks to be a pretty volatile beer.

The aroma consists of a nice little concoction of spices; faint white pepper, heavy clove. Fruity and earthy esters are abound, with just a hint of that bubble-gum aroma that is so common with Belgian yeast. Some light fruits on the nose as well. Not picking up much of the "farmhouse" side of things, at least on the nose.

Hennepin hits the palate light and crispy with heavy carbonation, it almost seems to evaporate away inside of your mouth. Fruity esters take over right from the start; pear skins, apple skins, faint banana, and even some kind of melon... maybe honeydew? Something unique that I can't quite put my finger on. Clove crowds the background from start to finish, which is to be expected, but it doesn't overpower or distract the other flavors thankfully. Just a touch of mint and white pepper to go along with the clove spices.

The bubble-gum like taste comes out a little more as the beer gets warmer. About three-quarters of the way through the sip and riding strong into the aftertaste is the "farmhouse" funk. Some wet, musky, corky, funk flavors come out and satisfy their share of the workload. It's noticeable, but subdued and controlled at the same time. Executed very nicely; I'd like to think this is a decent amount of "beginner funk" - a good way to introduce new people into the work of funk without scaring them away with something crazy like Fantome.

Very good beer - almost similar to a Belgian tripel, but more spicy and less sweet. The added farmhouse funk on the tail end adds a different elements, as well as some unidentifiable fruit. Very pleasing, I'd definitely have this one again.